Clydesdales come to Canton

Generally, Argos recognises three classes of animals: dogs, people, prey. I don't know whether he has encountered horses before.  He was fascinated.  Clydesdales are not prey.

These are draft horses, but they are really show ponies. They are constantly being groomed.

Budweiser has three hitches for America: one for St. Louis Missouri, one for the east, and one for the west. Each contingent has 10 horses, and two Dalmatians. Eight pull at once, and they rotate with the other two. The horses have positions (lead, swing, body, wheel) as in team sports. The bigger boys are in the back. They came here for two weeks. Saturday past, they were hitched up for the big hot air balloon show. Forty-seven balloons were scheduled, and a very popular one was Cosmos the spaceman. He looked as if Charles Shultz drew him. Saturday next is the big parade. On most days they were at Kent State Stark campus, where they could be seen by the public.

Lily is a three month old coach dog. She was friendly with Argos.

Dogs need to be rested.

Karma and Argos wondered how life would be on the beer wagon.

wagon wheel

Ferris wheel 

The last few years the area around the stadium has had new construction of a tourist village. It is ongoing. [foto JZ]

While we were there, the Hall of Fame logo was being painted on midfield. In 2016, a paint was used that made it unsafe to play, and the game was cancelled. Fawcett Field, now Tom Benson Stadium, is the largest high school stadium in America. It is the home field for the Canton McKinley Bulldogs. Earlier this year, the field was used to play games for a spring football league. [foto JZ, my battery had died]

Marion Motley was from Canton McKinley. In WWII he was in the navy, and played for Paul Brown. Brown coached the nearby Washington Massillon Tigers, who play Canton McKinley every year. In 1946 Paul Brown coached Motley again, this time for the Cleveland Browns. They continued together until 1953.

Motley was one of four black players that re-integrated professional football in 1946. They all received nasty abuse. Spyro Spondyl designed the statue. Motley is seen trampling picket signs of hateful words, and insults. The statue was unveiled in August 2022, and is an Italian bronze.

more July fotos

                                                                        Argos on the chase

Tessa LeBaron is painting a quetzal for a Guatemalan mural on West 25th.

In Cleveland, in 1930, there began from the radio studio of WHK1420 began the programme, Lutheran Hour. The host for the first twenty years was Dr. Walter H. Maier. This plaque is on St. Mark Lutheran Cleveland.

This loon* posts the dishonest, ridiculous, and fear mongering arguments of the Republican Party. That party controls the state government completely. They will do things against the will of the people. People in Ohio have voted on ballot issues since 1913. Now, in logic and debate, the status quo is presumed to be fine. So, a change would be warranted only if the net results would be positive. The onus of proof is on the side wanting change. Why is the change necessary? Because Republicans do not want a majority of people deciding anything. They want power concentrated in their hands. Two ballot initiatives were successful in trying to end gerrymandering districts. The Republicans ignored the will of the people, they ignored the State Supreme Court, and got away with it. The Republicans with massive bribes had gotten a state wide issue passed to benefit an electrical utility company. Federal court has found that Republican Speaker of the House, and that State Party chairman guilty. The special interest, if it is a major moneyed interest, gets what it wants from the Republican Party. The public be damned. Also recently, the Republican Party had made a law that a special election could not be held in August, they ignored their own law.

 

The particular impetus for this situation is to make issues, on the general election, this November fail. The one issue is to allow abortions to happen beyond the sixth week after conception. In recent Republican states (Kansas, Kentucky), similar ballot questions passed with under 60%. The other issue is on the recreational use of cannabis. Now, enough signatures have been counted and approved for the former; for the latter some 600+ are needed to qualify, since more signatures were rejected than expected. Under current law, ten days are granted to further gather signatures. If Issue 1 passes, there will not be any period. Currently, 44 of the 88 counties have to be represented with signatures. The proposed amendment mandates 5% of the total votes of the previous gubernatorial contest to be collected in each of the 88 counties; thus making it very difficult to achieve.

 

She is upset that half the electorate "can control the other half". The gall of the mendacity is fantastic. First, by semantics, anything can be split in two; whether they are equal, or very unequal is another matter. Her 40% will control the other 60%, and that is her want. Now, the Ohio electorate is not 60%+ Republican; yet they control everything. But remember, the bedrock foundation of the Republican Party is hypocrisy.

A few days we went to a flea market, with our greyhounds. It was dog friendly. A vendor was selling these. Humourous. I read that a child photographer would say, 'poop' to get children to smile/laugh.

Act like you know! on a railroad bridge crossing Superior in Cleveland

 day lilies, Italian Cultural Garden

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*she needs a proof reader, e,g, our for are, she is a sign painter with writing problems

more than time for a vent

Axiom: the stupids abuse freedom of speech.

I have not listed a diatribe, vent, or rant in a while. I forgot which term i used as a label, i used all three. At best stupid is entertaining by accident, usually it is annoying; but this country is awash of the stupids, and their unending stupidity.

In July, the earth has recorded its hottest days in succession. Canadian forests are burning, Greece is burning. Idiots are going to Death Valley to get a picture of themselves standing next to the temperature sign at 130°F.  I read a note in the press that one idiot died.

Climate change is real, but the moneyed interests have been denying it, and the stupids believe them. Now, things have hit the US several times each day to show the weather is not in normal, or freak variability. The mainstream (read: established corporate) media now speaks of climate change as an accepted reality, but local teevee weathermen do get harassed.  So, what do we here on local northeast Ohio broadcasts? Whining of the dearth of 90° days this summer. First, we haven't had any, then we have had only one. There are world wide examples right now of the heat disasters, and these idjits are lamenting the dearth of heat. They work in air-conditioned studios, drive in air-conditioned automobiles. live in air-conditioned homes. In winter will these dunderheads complain with, "we haven't any below 0°F days".

Now, a more serious vent:  the fascists are upset that they do not have absolute control of public speech. Newspapers, radio, and television are businesses. Businesses are moneyed interests. A priori they are slanted towards economic interests, and the political party of the XXth century that stood for this was the Republicans. If people followed those endorsements Franklin Roosevelt would not have been president. The New Deal made America a far better place. The Republicans were not pleased, and they have continuously tried to rescind  everything about it.

Now, most journalists of the mainstream media try to hew to journalistic standards and ethics. As Stephen Colbert has said, "reality has a liberal bias". So, the disgruntled fascist capitalists have created their own propaganda organs to counter that. And their minions constantly bitch and attack. They and Republicans insist lying is the proper exercise of the first amendment. Also, many are anti-social louts with vicious, and violent proclivities all of which they want others to hear. Social media is their playground, and they want control of the turf.

Twitter is a 'micro-blogging' form of social media. They had some standards in which some false information, pornography, hate speech was prohibited. Now that upset many fascists and their fellow travellers. So they set up their imitation twitters, but that was not enough. Normal people did not frequent their reich wing imitations. They want to shove their crap down everyone's gullet. So, one of their number bought Twitter and proceeded to recreate it in his image. So, Twitter is dying. And by the way, elon musk, ron desantis, and donald trump are horrid individuals.

In Florida history classes it is now decreed that it must be taught that slavery was beneficial. Republican controlled states have created laws to police, curb, and censor professors—so that 'conservative' ideas are protected, and free speech of fascists must not be restricted on campus. [see postscript]

This weekend past, two big movies opened at the picture show. They are being called 'Barbieheimer'. Occasionally, i look to see what movies are coming months, even years in advance. I was right away interested in Oppenheimer.  I was not interested in Barbie.  Oppenheimer is a serious character in history, and science. Barbie is a dolly. 

 

Margot Robbie is a good actress. It looked like this might have been a big budget picture, didn't care. I remember seeing the dollies in childhood, and the ones i saw were abused. Their hair was cut, or pulled out; limbs missing, and other damage, and usually without clothes. I did not live around genteel children.

Well, now the mouthfoaming repukes are upset. From what i gather about the flick, is that in Barbie's toy world, everything is about Barbie, and Ken is just hanging around mostly purposeless. Then Barbie goes to the real world, and things are not that way. Ok, sounds like a regular children's story. No, they have a problem with feminism. Y'no, i was a boy. I had no interest in what play fantasies, and adventures girls had playing with their dollies. Maybe, these clowns should look in their pantalones and see if they look like Ken.

O, and now i read the conservative/fascist ruling party in India has a problem with Oppenheimer. Apparently, there is a scene where he is with his mistress and quotes Vishnu. This from the land of the Kama Sutra, and temples with flagrant sexual sculptures.

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postscriptum 10.48 a.m. 25 July 2023.  Of course Texas is real big with fascism. [click]  from the article, before it is removed from the internet:  

Texas A&M suspends professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in lecture   

      Joy Alonzo, a respected opioid expert, was in a panic.

     The Texas A&M University professor had just returned home from giving a routine lecture on the opioid crisis at the University of Texas Medical Branch when she learned a student had accused her of disparaging Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during the talk.

     In the few hours it took to drive from Galveston, the complaint had made its way to her supervisors, and Alonzo’s job was suddenly at risk.

foto safaris finds birds in trees

Poseidon/Neptune Avon Lake Library, etched glass

dog shark

Greyhound in catsup bottle before a wienermobile, which this year is a frankmobile.

This spider web photographed well.

male ebony jewelwing damselfly

While we were were looking for critters, this critter was looking at us.

barred owl

Lost limpkin hanging out in Gable Creek. This is a tropical bird, the Caribbean, and Amazonia.

red headed woodpecker

One of the parent bald eagles at Redwood Elementary Avon Lake. They had three eggs this year, and the first two hatched, The fledglings can fly about, but have not hunted yet.

a lot of stereotypes are accurate

Had a detour yesterday off Lake Road, went past this, i think it was within (or near) Sheffield Village limits.
 

Coffee, eles têm muito café no Brasil

 

1200 réis. Brasil coffee stamp. 1/17/1938.

“Coffee Song” sung by Frank Sinatra from 1946.

Way down among Brazilians
Coffee beans grow by the billions
So they've got to find those extra cups to fill
They've got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil

A while back, [click] i wrote about Mormons and coffee. It’s time for a codicil. 

 

A comedian, Emo Philips told this joke:  “A Mormon told me that they don't drink coffee”. I said, “A cup of coffee every day gives you wonderful benefits.” He said, “Like what?” I said, “Well, it keeps you from being Mormon.”  So, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and a cup of coffee keeps Mormons away.

You remember learning about the Boston Tea Party in grade school? So, drinking coffee becomes an act of rebellion. I’ve said, “Mormonism is the best argument for atheism”. They tie it to a prohibition to hot beverages. But, the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, was a charlatan. And any successor President of the church can change any teaching at any time, and they have.  The then, new Mormon president, Russell Nelson, forbade the term ‘mormon’ in 2018.

What’s in a name or, in this case, a nickname? When it comes to nicknames of the Church, such as the “LDS Church,” the “Mormon Church,” or the “Church of the Latter-day Saints,” the most important thing in those names is the absence of the Savior’s name. To remove the Lord’s name from the Lord’s Church is a major victory for Satan.

Immediately before that, from 2010 to 2018, the church had an advertising programme called “I’m a Mormon”. Well, that’s not so consequential as the formal rejection of polygamy, but still it is indicative of an arbitrary authoritarianism. Perhaps there is a patriarchy in charge there.

Their theological mythology is the scientology of 19th century America. All the religions that claimed to be restorations were inventive cults. No one was doing the right thing until their originator pulled things out of his hat, and insisted on control and obedience.

Joseph Smith translating, and dictating the Book of Mormon.

Some Mormons maintain that a coffee drinker can not get to heaven. I have spent more than an half hour to find the book that quotes St. Paul. I thought, it was the Brothers Karamazov. It was something similar to, ‘Everything is permitted to you, but not everything is good for you’. There is something like that in I Corinthians vi.12. — All things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful to me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. So, i have the ability to drink coffee; why would it be bad for me? The prohibition is to control behaviour, the authority is both nebulous and capricious. As for me and my tribe, we will drink coffee.

“ And again, hot drinks are not for the body or the belly.” — Joseph Smith, Word of Wisdom 89.9.

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postscriptum: 11 July 2023.  sometimes, i forget to type something. When i was in college, there was a rumour/joke that there was a name brand laxative in the cafeteria coffee. A lot of people only start regularly drinking coffee in early adulthood. I conjecture, relatively few high schoolers drink much coffee. Coffee does stimulate intestinal activity. Perhaps, mormons need some regularity; and perhaps their church does not want a free flow. Sigmund Freud could have run with that. Maybe, they just need a good s**t.

Paws Up

In Lorain Ohio, early Sunday afternoon, fireworks were going off. A family's four yellow Labrador retrievers got out of the house. While family members were trying to gather the dogs, a passing patrol car was passing by and stopped. A policeman, Elliot Palmer, shot one dog in the hind quarters. The dog went beyond him into the street. He fired more shots, and they hit. The dog using her front legs, while dragging her hind legs made it a driveway apron. There were several witnesses, and they were upset. The cop did not permit the owner to approach her dying dog. Several police cars arrived. The first patrolman bugged out. The remaining cops told the owner to cremate the dog now. The dog was, and the corpse and bullets were burned, evidence was destroyed.

To-day there was a rally for the deceased dog in front of the city hall/police station at 11am.  Goddard’s Law 2016 says harming of an animal is a fifth-degree felony. Dick Goddard was a long, long time Cleveland weatherman who always promoted companion animals.

Some people maintain that how a person treats animals is how they would treat people. Labradors are extremely well known to be very affectionate, and playful dogs that do not show aggression. 

“Due to the totality of the circumstances, I feared for my immediate safety. As the dog charged me, I drew my service pistol. At this point the dog was no more than a few feet away from me. I then discharged my service pistol several times at the dog to stop the threat. The dog then ran toward the front of my cruiser, and passed due to its injuries.”

It has to be in people's minds this policeman is a danger to the public. As usual, police departments want to say as little as possible. Some of the patrolman's camera recording has been released. There were already citizen videos on the internet before that. It was announced to-day, the policeman is on paid leave.

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postscriptum:  7 August 2023. To-day the Lorain Police Department had a press conference: ha-ha, good cop, bad dog, now shut up.

2023 Miscellany #11 — around the 4th of July

 

Second Fairport Harbor (Grand River) Lighthouse 1871 during Mardi Gras celebration (Independence Day weekend)

Karma (L), John, Argos, Tiberius 

The legend lives on from the graduates and faculty on down of the Chocolate Labrador they call Tiberius. Lake Erie College (Painesville O) was originally a women's school. Harriet Young was a dean, who had Tiberius. For years, he had the run of the campus. After he died, a statue was made in 1910. In 1957 two girls were awakened by some serious dog barking. The dormitory was on fire. The girls were safe, everything else was lost in the conflagration. No one could find a living dog. The story was settled that the spirit of Tiberius had protected the students. 

The current statue is Tiberius IV, 2008.  Frat rats from Case Western Reserve stole the original. The second was destroyed in situ in an act of vandalisation.

Young llama, without pajamas was also in Fairport Harbor.

Frederick Douglass in 1852 gave a speech in Rochester, “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”.

a scene from the Hungarian Cultural Garden

The first bi-lingual Ohio Historical Marker is in Little Italy where the stone was carved for the Lorain Carnegie Bridge. The other side is in inglese.